I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. (J.R.R.Tolkien, The Two Towers)

When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force.

just to amuse MCM, that was the same year I was little miss hometown. 27 years ago (the year Elvis died) I was also Miss some other close by town. Both events were total freaks.

Is that tall one Don Salyer? I ran in to him at the Barter just a few weeks ago. And I recognize Eloise Couch -- I saw her at Daddy's funeral. The teacher in the middle bottom row, stern, she was third grade and did music (B I N G O) but what was her name. And the dark haired one in front of Eloise . . . I know her but cannot come up with a name. Mrs. Addington on the end of the bottom, is that Estes beside her?

Anyone I should know that I'm not clicking on of the teachers? I'm going swimming at the moment and will look more closely at my classmates later!

At that time the kids weren't assigned to a certain teacher but got to choose their own. I didn't know this when Mrs. Jordan came to my room with half a dozen ragamuffins in tow. She then proceded to skim the best students from my room and replaced them with said ragamuffins. Not knowing what was going on I let her get away with it. She tried it the next year but I was wise to her then and wouldn't let her.

Wow, somehow I thought McConnell was Estes -- why do I remember her as skinny like that? Of course, you look at those photos from that long ago and people are just plain fatter today. I digress. Georgia Smith, of course. Her sisters have died, haven't they? I knew for a while one of her sons in law from Chatanooga. Who knew one little UMC would produce so many heathens.

And that sounds so like Ms Jordan, my BINGO teacher. Ms. McConnell handled, IIRC, selling pencils and paper. Or maybe Ms. Wills. I have such vague memories of many of these people. I remember Luella the librarian who isn't in there. You were downright cute -- no wonder I had a crush on you.

Gosh we're old.

Eloise was really sweet when I got to talk with her, into new agey sorts of things. Dawn died of cancer some years ago, didn't know if you knew.

You're not going to outright tell me if I'm right, are you. Well, I shall go to my grave with unrequited curiousity then.

Up here that sort of "Little Miss" phenomenon is almost non-existent until adulthood, and even then is just a vague notion here and there. We don't go in much for pageants at all. I didn't realize what a hoo-haw they are in the South until I met my friend from Louisiana, and it seems like there they can't pass a week without crowning someone queen of something. Rice Harvest Queen, Okra Queen, the place is thick with tinsel royalty.

Not only do we have the Little Miss but also Tiny Miss, Wee Miss, and Baby Girl/Boy, then going up in age there are 2 or 3 more categories going up the other way, then you have the fair in 3 counties and each town has it's own pageant. It's really quiet disgusting sometimes especially with the little ones.

And NO I won't tell...that's for CG if she wants too. And I don't think your sweet talk will work on her. Of course now if say a couple dozen bendy chocolate chip cookies showed up in the mail with a Canadian return address...

I'll tell you about one though. Row 3...3rd from the left. Her name is Leasha and she was in my room the next year. Whenever she wanted to speak to me she would very gently pull on my shirt sleeve and in a soft drawn out voice say "Mr. Teacher". Never Mr. Stallard, always Mr. Teacher. I don't think her hair was ever brushed the whole time she was in elementary school.

The pageants way back then weren't much like the JonBenet things you see today -- we wore street clothes, not gowns, etc. But then too, at our high school, Mr. B was a drag pageant. Now you'd think that'd raise some eyebrows but nary a one!

Of the kids pictured, I remember Rhonda and Lois. Any number of others I'm going . . . was that . . .whooooo

But then, I didn't finish out school with any of these people so I'm always at that disadvantage with it.

I didn't have many of those kids the next year. I had Rhonda Blevins , Deloise Stanley(row 1 picture 5 (r1 p5), Leasha Pridemore, Troy Fields (r3 p6), Sharon McCarty (r3 p8) and "you" of course. (Sorry MCM no cookies came in the mail today...UPS might be faster hint...hint...)

Hey, MCM...you're the one who's going to go your grave with unrequited curiousity. I'll bet CG would bake me a couple of loaves of whole wheat bread for my silence. Oh, by the way CG you can ship the bread to the same address or better still if you make the Guest River Rally you can hand deliver.

I came here the other day to relieve madcap of her curiosity and got so tickled by the comments that I didn't leave one myself. So I'm back, and Harold, I'll see you next Saturday I hope, bread or no bread . . . but I'm still letting madcap off the hook.

I am the little girl only half in the photo with a piece of hair sticking out at an odd angle. I was in second grade which would make me 7 in that photo I'm pretty sure. I could not understand why the photographer would do that photo. I cried.

I also remember that outfit, a little leather vest and skirt. It is funny to me how many of the clothes from my childhood I remember.

I'm back here again. The kid I think you labeled Deloise I remember as Lois Winebarger? Or do Deloise and Lois just look something alike? I always thought Lois was the prettiest thing. Her (Lois's) brother got killed that year or the next in a hunting accident, I remember that. And Lois was in our third grade -- but that might not be her.

My friend this weekend started remembering kids from 4th grade and I don't remember a thing about that class except where I sat, where she sat, where the bathroom was, where the corner was. No other kids can I place in the classroom. And she was telling me other things that I don't remember, like Ms. Linthicum calling me a spoiled brat right there in the classroom, etc. Wow.